Legislator Chen Chin-teh (陳金德) of the ruling DPP will leave for Beijing today to push for the lifting of a Chinese ban on mainland crewmen working aboard Taiwanese fishing boats.
Chen's trip grabbed the attention of Taiwan's media because it will make him the first DPP member to travel to China since Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen (錢其琛) said earlier this year that DPP politicians are welcome to visit China "in an appropriate capacity."
However, Chen said yesterday that his visit has nothing to do with politics.
"I'm visiting China in a private capacity and the main purpose of my visit is to help shipowners in my constituency to resolve problems caused by the abrupt Chinese labor-export ban," Chen said.
The DPP lawmaker said he wants to keep his mainland itinerary low-profile.
Chen, elected from the northeastern county of Ilan -- one of Taiwan's major fishing industry hubs -- said he will join a 15-member delegation of the Taiwan Provincial Fishery Association (台灣省漁會), which arrived in Beijing Thursday, when they negotiate with relevant Beijing authorities for the lifting of the labor ban.
During his visit, Chen said he plans to meet with Chinese officials in charge of fishing, trade and labor affairs, as well as senior executives of the Beijing-based Fishing Labor Coordination Committee for the Two Sides of the Taiwan Strait (大陸兩岸漁工合作勞務協調委員會).
On Feb. 11, the eve of Chinese New Year, the mainland authorities abruptly banned its nationals from working on Taiwan vessels, in what has been sold as an attempt to force Taiwan shipowners to improve working and living conditions for mainland fishermen employed by Taiwan-owned boats.
As Taiwan's offshore fishing industry has become heavily dependent on mainland crew over the past decade, the ban has seriously affected Taiwan's catches and has forced many fishing vessels to suspend operations.
Both the Council of Labor Affairs and the Council of Agriculture have agreed to offer financial subsidies to encourage local shipowners to hire Taiwan fishermen to work aboard their ships, but shipowners are still finding it difficult to hire enough local crewmen to keep their vessels working. In fact, industry sources said few local people are now willing to work aboard fishing boats.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
RSS